The emperor, as if a single blink was all that mattered, looked at me without a hint of movement.
Taking a deep breath, I posed my third question.
<By any chance, is it Cassian?>
The emperor’s eyes widened as he read the words. He blinked once clearly, then pursed his lips.
“H……!”
Seemingly attempting to say something, all that came out was the sound of the wind, not proper words.
“Your Majesty, is something bothering you?”
The empress stopped talking and lifted the emperor’s quilt, pretending to check on him.
The emperor tossed and turned slightly in frustration. Watching his trembling fingertips, I realized what he wanted.
“It seems His Majesty wishes to get up and go outside.”
“I can understand your frustration.”
In the meaningless conversation between Julion and the empress, I discreetly handed a pen to the emperor.
Then, I placed a piece of paper where the pen tip could reach, making it easier for the Emperor to write.
“I truly look forward to the day when Your Majesty fully recovers.”
“Indeed, the crown princess has beautifully adorned the golden garden. I would love to take you there when you are able to move.”
Slow but steady, the emperor’s hand with the pen began to move, bit by bit.
Though there were pauses along the way, the emperor calmly completed the sentences.
Thud, watching his arm weakly fall, I picked up the paper.
<Traitor among the shadows.>
Julion’s gaze turned cold as he checked it out beside me.
The shadows, composed of knights with unwavering loyalty, were guarding the surroundings of the emperor’s bedroom even at this moment.
‘I had a feeling, but…’
Since I knew the emperor wasn’t just suffering from a simple illness but had fallen victim to Mordheim poison, I remained vigilant.
Even this trivial conversation was a smokescreen for that reason, as there must be an agent of the duke planted very close to the emperor.
‘You didn’t mention a name.’
That meant it was impossible to identify who that person might be.
I wrote another question on the paper.
<What does Your Majesty know?>
It was a broad question, but the emperor smoothly wrote his response.
<Cassian is using poison beetles.>
I doubted my eyes for a moment.
Julion, who had confirmed the information with me, also stiffened.
Poison beetles
It is a type of insect that parasitizes humans and emits poison from its body until its host dies.
Those infected would go berserk, unable to recognize themselves, let alone those around them.
The definitive solution was to kill or extract the poison beetle. However, due to its small size and ability to roam freely throughout the body once inside, catching it was nearly impossible.
As an alternative, people resorted to periodically consuming an antidote to the poison emitted by the poison beetle.
This, at least, prevented the onset of madness.
The problem lay in the fact that producing the antidote was extremely intricate and difficult.
Moreover, finding an apothecary capable of creating it was like finding a needle in a haystack.
“The poison beetles were exterminated more than two hundred years ago.”
Though there were stories suggesting they might still exist in some remote areas, they had been invisible for a long time due to the thorough efforts of the imperial family to eradicate them.
The reason was clear: there had been rebels who attempted to control the emperor by feeding him poison beetles.
The fact that regularly taking the antidote could prevent madness could itself be a leash.
Deliberately poisoning the Emperor with the poison beetle and then using the antidote as an excuse to make him listen to them.
After the leash almost tightened around the Emperor, the poison beetle completely disappeared.
At least, that’s what was known in academic circles, including historical records.
‘Cassian really leaves no stone unturned.’
Now the question arises: who is Cassian using the poison beetles on?
While contemplating this, the emperor, as if having something more to say, clenched his fist, as if wanting to express something. I hastily brought a piece of paper in front of him.
This time, it took even longer than before.
Watching the endless movement of the pen, I brought up another mundane topic.
“What kind of food does His Imperial Majesty like to eat best? For the time being, you’ll need to eat mainly soft soups, but if you dislike soup, it might be difficult for you.”
“Is that so? His Majesty doesn’t like soup much. He probably prefers meat the most, right…?”
“It’s going to be a while before you can eat meat; that’s a problem.”
Even Julion joined the conversation, and as the emperor finally put down the pen, Julion, who was nearby, checked the content first.
I expected him to quickly hand it over to me, but surprisingly, Julion scrutinized it for quite a while.
Julion’s usually composed demeanor was unexpectedly shaking.
*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚
It was difficult to talk comfortably at Tishrit Palace, so Julion and I returned to Garnet Palace.
Amidst the lingering scent of blooming tea flowers, I once again confirmed the names written on the paper.
<Lanches, Iel, Thetman, Feromia, Steng, Vante, Nature, Cherusila, Geria, Lib….>
There was more written after that, but it was too smudged to decipher.
It looked like he was straining to move the pen properly.
One thing was certain: more noble families than listed had fallen victim to the poison beetles.
“So that’s why they laid their hands on His Majesty.”
I didn’t hear in detail how the emperor came to know all this. But it must have been because of this knowledge that Duke Cassian acted hastily.
One perplexing question that remained unresolved was why Mordheim poison was used, especially if the goal was to silence the emperor.
Furthermore, considering he collapsed suddenly one day, it seemed like the poison was used not just to silence him but to keep him from waking up by other means.
‘Why haven’t I figured this out before?’
Since my mother’s passing, I’ve been pouring all my efforts into bringing down Cassian.
Gathering information, planting trustworthy individuals…
‘The only place I couldn’t infiltrate was my father’s residence.’
The security there was so thorough that no newcomers could penetrate, and those who had already sworn allegiance to Cassian wouldn’t be swayed by any persuasion.
So I scrambled for other evidence.
The horrifying deeds they committed in the past. The atrocities still being committed.
Dealing with minor issues wouldn’t guarantee they couldn’t escape somehow, so I planned to expose all the evidence in front of the nobility and the common people.
If that happened, there would be no escape, and naturally, it could thwart the duke’s ultimate goal.
But if all these nobles were bound by the leash of the poison beetles…
“Nobles wouldn’t want Cassian to perish.”
“They’ll try desperately to prevent it. If Cassian disappears, they won’t be able to obtain the antidote.”
“There’s only one solution.”
A question mark appeared in Julion’s eyes.
I raised the corners of my mouth slightly in response.
“We can make and provide the antidote here.”
“…So, you mean you can make the antidote for the poison beetles?”
“Um, maybe?”
I had never tried making it.
However, poison beetles were creatures found in nature, and the venom they emitted could be considered part of nature.
“My mother used to say something frequently: If a problem comes from nature, there’s a solution in nature.”
And I was a bit confident in finding a solution within that nature…
No, I was very confident.
*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚
From tonight on, Julion will spend the night at Tishrit Palace.
It was to protect the emperor, given the uncertainty of who the traitor among the shadows might be.
“Something feels off.”
Hemion, who was preparing for bed, said gloomily.
Recently, as Julion continued to stay at Garnet Palace, Hemion had been preparing beds for both of us.
But suddenly, preparing for only one person seemed strange.
“How did you fall in love with his highness?”
I hesitated as I lifted the teacup, taken aback by the unexpected question that popped up out of nowhere.
“Well… why all of a sudden?”
“I was so focused on what I was going through at that time that I didn’t notice anything else. But thinking about it now, it’s really romantic, isn’t it?”
“Haha…….”
I let out an awkward laugh, swallowing my tea more noisily than necessary.
I wonder what I’m going to say to the people around me later, when we separate.
Or maybe I should tell Hemion about the contract.
I never imagined I would be thinking like this when I first saw Hemion.
“Did Your Highness fall in love at first sight with His Highness? Or was it the other way around?”
Hemion, who had neatly arranged the bed, had suddenly come close to me, chuckling softly.
Instead of answering, I brought up another topic.
“Hemion, have you memorized all the herbs I asked you to memorize last time?”
I had been teaching Hemion about herbal medicine intermittently for some time now.
The goal was to prepare for the herbalism exam next spring.
When I suddenly brought up the topic of studying, Hemion avoided my gaze, and her voice softened.
“Well… I’m working hard to memorize them!”
“They are the basics of the basics in herbal medicine. You need to memorize them all so I can teach you the next steps. Study meticulously.”
Hemion pursed his lips.
However, seeing that she didn’t express dislike, it seemed like she genuinely intended to give it a sincere try, which was commendable.
“Well then, shall we call it a night? It’s a bit chilly tonight; could you please stoke the fire a bit more?”
“Oh, yes!”
After Hemion left, I also stood up.
A breeze, simultaneously cool and crisp, brushed against my skin.
‘Did I leave the window open?’
I distinctly remember telling her to close it earlier.
I stepped up to the window.
Something black dropped in front of me, instantly grabbing me and pulling me backward.
“What the……!”
For a brief moment, relief washed over me at the familiar sight of flowing blonde hair in front of me.
“Wolfgang’s third son, is it?”
A chilling sensation wrapped around my entire body.
Simultaneously, goosebumps crawled up my spine, and beyond the sleek back of Ares, I saw shimmering silver hair.
